Genetic Diversity and Genetic Changes in the Introgression Lines Derived from Oryza sativa L. Mating with O. rufipogon Griff.

The objectives of the present study were to estimate genetic diversity and genetic changes of introgression lines （ILs） which derived from cultivated rice （Oryza sativa L. cv. Xieqingzao B, XB） mating with common wild rice （O. rufipogon Griff., CWR）. The genetic data of 239 ILs were based on a total of 131 polymorphic microsatellite （SSR） markers distributed across the 12 chromosomes of rice. On average, these ILs possessed 77.1 and 14.31% homozygous bands from XB and CWR, respectively. Most of the ILs were clustered together with XB individual, which was revealed by principal coordinate analysis （PCA） and the program STRUCTURE analysis. The result from PCA demonstrated that some intermediate genotypes between XB and CWR were also found. Moreover, there were some genomic sequence changes including parental bands elimination and novel bands emergence in the ILs. The average Nei＇s gene diversity （He） was 0.296, which was higher than that of cultivated rice. It suggested that interspecific hybridization and gene introgression could broaden the base of genetic variation and lay an important foundation for rice genetic improvement. These different genotypic ILs would provide a better experimental system for understanding the evolution of rice species and the mechanism of alien gene introgression.

Introgression of Bt Genes in Novel Germplasm and Contribution to Indian Cotton Economy

Emergence of transgenic Bt-cotton technology has opened up a new chapter in Indian cotton production in 21st century.The cry1Ac gene of Monsanto derived from American Upland Coker-312 background was not directly suitable for varied cotton growing situations in India.Delivery of

Combining QTL mapping and expression profile analysis to identify candidate genes of cold tolerance from Dongxiang common wild rice(Oryza rufipogon Griff.)

Rice（Oryza sativa L.）, a tropical and subtropical crop, is susceptible to low temperature stress during seedling, booting, and flowering stages, which leads to lower grain quality levels and decreasing rice yields. Cold tolerance is affected by multiple genetic factors in rice, and the complex genetic mechanisms associated with chilling stress tolerance remain unclear. Here, we detected seven quantitative trait loci（QTLs） for cold tolerance at booting stage and identified one cold tolerant line, SIL157, in an introgression line population derived from a cross between the indica variety Guichao 2, as the recipient, and Dongxiang common wild rice, as the donor. When compared with Guichao 2, SIL157 showed a stronger cold tolerance during different growth stages. Through an integrated strategy that combined QTL-mapping with expression profile analysis, six candidate genes, which were up-regulated under chilling stress at the seedling and booting developmental stages, were studied. The results may help in understanding cold tolerance mechanisms and in using beneficial alleles from wild rice to improve the cold tolerance of rice cultivars through molecular marker-assisted selection.

Wheat breeding for Hessian fly resistance at ICARDA

Hessian fly(HF),Mayetiola destructor(Say)is an important pest of wheat in North Africa,North America,Southern Europe,Northern Kazakhstan,Northwestern China,and New Zealand.It can cause up to 30%yield losses and sometimes can result in complete crop failure if infestation coincides with young stage of the wheat crop.Studies to-date have shown the availability of genetic diversity in the wheat genetic resources(landraces,wild relatives,cultivars,etc.)for resistance to Hessian fly.About 37 resistance genes have been reported from these wheat genetic resources for resistance to Hessian fly,of which,some have been deployed singly or in combination in the breeding programs to develop high yielding varieties with resistance to HF.Deployment of resistant varieties in different agro-ecologies with other integrated management measures plays key role for the control of HF.This paper summarizes the importance,life cycle,mechanisms of resistance,gene mining,and wheat breeding efforts for HF resistance.

How we look:European wild moufon and feral domestic sheep hybrids

Hybridization between wild animals and feral individuals from closely related domestic species can occur when they share the same habitat.Such events are generally regarded as a threat to the genetic integrity and survival of established wild populations.The aim of this study is to confrm a hybridization between European moufon and feral sheep on the Adriatic island Dugi Otok,where a group of individuals phenotypically indicative of a possible introgression was photographed.Using an ovine medium-density SNP array genotypes,we provided genetic evidence of recent gene admixture between the two species.The ADMIXTURE analysis suggests that two hybrid individuals had 82.2%and 94.1%of their ancestry attributable to feral sheep,respectively,with the rest of the moufon in origin.NEWHYBRIDS analysis estimated the combined probabilities for the putative hybrid individuals belonging to one of the hybrid classes at 87.0%and 90.1%,respectively.The main phenotypic differences in the hybrids were observed in the shape of the horns,a stronger horn circumference than in the moufon and weaker than for the sheep,pronounced horn rings,a shorter tail,and intermediate color.We therefore recommend constant monitoring of the purity of the moufon population to maintain its genetic integrity.In addition,all feral sheep should be removed from the wild,and released sheep raised in semi-wild conditions should be better controlled.